manually fixing pla?

[Marm]

Not very long, a centimeter at most I've found. Takes a little practice. But yeah, once you get the hang of it, it almost feels like a Tig/Mig torch.

And I usually put on safety glasses, and on occasion I've wished I had gloves. Little molten blobs sting.

[GOC]

- Eddie also posted a neat little article on 'Friction Welding' HERE

[ole_blue_moon]

This is one technique that works pretty well for removing from Kapton tape. Take a utility knife, the large type with the sliding blade that breaks off in sections. Side the blade out as far as it takes to reach the part while keeping the blade almost parallel to the bed. Work the tip of the blade under a corner or edge of the part, again keep the blade as level to the bed as possible. Once you get even a tiny bit of the blade tip under the part then take another tool, a small narrow putty knife and slide it under the blade between the bed and the blade. This will put enough upward pressure to get a little more gap. If necessary while leaving the putty knife in place reposition the knife blade again under the part and repeat the process, slowly pushing to wedge the part up.

Using this I can usually get it off without damaging the Kapton tape at all, and if I do it's a small nick where I started.

Also part of this is putting the tape on the bed well to begin with. Use the soapy water and credit card to get a good seal. There can be no bubbles at all under the tape, none, those spots will rip up when prying the part up.